CVE-2017-20230 Storable versions before 3.05 for Perl has a stack overflow

Critical 10.0 Published 21 Apr 2026 Updated 21 Apr 2026

A stack overflow in the Perl Storable library allows attackers to cause denial of service or potentially execute code via crafted data.

Exploited in the wild: Not known
Login needed: Not needed
Attackable: Over the internet
Victim action needed: Not needed
Fix: Available

What is CVE-2017-20230?

CVE-2017-20230 is a critical memory corruption vulnerability in NWCLARK Storable, published on 21 Apr 2026. An attacker can exploit it over the internet without logging in, with no action from the victim.

Official description

Storable versions before 3.05 for Perl has a stack overflow.

The retrieve_hook function stored the length of the class name into a signed integer but in read operations treated the length as unsigned. This allowed an attacker to craft data that could trigger the overflow.

Weakness: CWE-121

Which versions are affected by CVE-2017-20230?

It affects 1 product.

Linux distribution packages (4)

`perl-Storable` Red Hat:hummingbird:1	All versions	`0:3.37-522.1.hum1`
`perl-Storable-tests` Red Hat:hummingbird:1	All versions	`0:3.37-522.1.hum1`
`perl` SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server 12 SP5-LTSS	All versions	`5.18.2-12.32.1`
`perl` SUSE:Linux Enterprise Server LTSS Extended Security 12 SP5	All versions	`5.18.2-12.32.1`

Products include Nwclark Storable.

How do I fix CVE-2017-20230?

Upgrade to a fixed version.

Upgrade to the fixed version. Memory-safe languages, compiler hardening and fuzzing prevent most new cases. More about Memory corruption.

Is CVE-2017-20230 being exploited?

There is no known exploitation of CVE-2017-20230 in the wild and no public exploit code.

CVE-2026-57433 Storable versions before 3.41 for Perl have a signed integer overflow when deserializing a crafted SX_HOOK record Critical 9.8

Sources

Also known as DEBIAN-CVE-2017-20230, GHSA-6r7m-2wh8-438w, RHSA-2026:7578, SUSE-SU-2026:1567-1, UBUNTU-CVE-2017-20230.